Kukla's Korner Hockey

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today he has met with forward Tuomo Ruutu to discuss Ruutu’s future with the team, and said a decision should be reached next week.

Rutherford said Ruutu, due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, expressed a desire to stay with the team.

“These meetings are to see where the player is at, what they think of the team, whether he likes being in the organization, those things,” Rutherford said. “Tuomo is a player we really like, and he said he likes being with the team. That’s an important first step and we had a good meeting.

“The next hurdle may be the bigger hurdle, but at least we know we’re on the same page.”